--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We no longer see the evolution of the…" description: "\"We no longer see the evolution of the nervous system, but that of a certain individual. The role of the memory is very important but... not as importan..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/rodolfo-llinas-42129_believe_we-no-longer-see-the-evolution-of-the-ne_2612209.jpg" --- # We no longer see the evolution of the nervous system, but… ![“We no longer see the evolution of the nervous system, but that of a certain individual. The role of the memory is very important but... not as important as we believe. Most of the important things that we do don't depend on memory. To hear, to see, to touch, to feel happiness and pain; these are…” quote by Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/rodolfo-llinas-42129_believe_we-no-longer-see-the-evolution-of-the-ne_2612209.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/rodolfo-llinas-42129_believe_we-no-longer-see-the-evolution-of-the-ne_2612209.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/070/rodolfo-llinas-42129_believe_we-no-longer-see-the-evolution-of-the-ne_2612209.jpg) > “We no longer see the evolution of the nervous system, but that of a certain individual. The role of the memory is very important but... not as important as we believe. Most of the important things that we do don't depend on memory. To hear, to see, to touch, to feel happiness and pain; these are functions which are independent of memory; it is an a priori thing. Thus, for me, what memory does is to modify that a priori thing, and this it does in a very profound way.” [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that memory modifies innate sensory experiences rather than creating them, positioning memory as a subtle influencer of perception. **In simple terms:** Memory tweaks, not creates, perception. Key Takeaway Understand memory’s role in perception. Themes neuroscience perception memory Mood analytical scientific Type educational informative When to use this quote - Learning new skills - therapy for trauma - designing user interfaces Key Concepts Sensory processing cognitive modulation Questions to Reflect On - How does memory shape our emotional responses? - Can we train memory to alter perception? A Different Perspective Complex interplay may be oversimplified. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Evolution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolution/) [Important things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-things/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Nervous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous/) [Nervous system](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nervous-system/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) ## Related quotes > [You will never know the true value of a thing, until it becomes a memory spongebob squarepants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieyem/you-will-never-know-the-true-value-of-a-thing-until-it-becomes-a/) Dieyem > [“If a memory wasn't a thing but a memory of a memory of a memory, mirrors set in parallel, then what the brain told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/if-a-memory-wasn-t-a-thing-but-a-memory-of-a-memory-of-a-memory/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Memory is a dead thing. Memory is not truth and cannot ever be, because truth is always alive, truth is life; memory is persistence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/memory-is-a-dead-thing-memory-is-not-truth-and-cannot-ever-be-because/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [The thing is, all memory is fiction,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-goolrick/the-thing-is-all-memory-is-fiction/) [Robert Goolrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-goolrick/) > [“We have seen that there are two misconceptions involved in the myth that memory is a thing. One is that memory is a thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-l-higbee/we-have-seen-that-there-are-two-misconceptions-involved-in-the-myth/) [Kenneth L. Higbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-l-higbee/) > [A strange thing is memory, and hope; one looks backward, and the other forward; one is of today, the other of tomorrow. Memory is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grandma-moses/a-strange-thing-is-memory-and-hope-one-looks-backward-and-the-other/) [Grandma Moses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grandma-moses/) > [Memory does not make films, it makes photographs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/memory-does-not-make-films-it-makes-photographs/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [I have the most ill-regulated memory. It does those things which it ought not to do and leaves undone the things it ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-l-sayers/i-have-the-most-ill-regulated-memory-it-does-those-things-which-it/) [Dorothy L. Sayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-l-sayers/) > [A great memory does not make a mind, any more than a dictionary is a piece of literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-henry-newman/a-great-memory-does-not-make-a-mind-any-more-than-a-dictionary-is-a/) [John Henry Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-henry-newman/) > [In fact, sometimes when I look at something my memory does work. I remember the panel where Alex Toth told me, "Mike, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-royer/in-fact-sometimes-when-i-look-at-something-my-memory-does-work-i/) [Mike Royer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-royer/) > [Maybe the memory does play tricks. Increasingly, I'm thinking, 'What was their name? I knew that name yesterday.' I think that's what happens. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dudley-moore/maybe-the-memory-does-play-tricks-increasingly-i-m-thinking-what-was/) [Dudley Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dudley-moore/) > [The sole virtue of losing your short-term memory is that it does free you to be your own editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/the-sole-virtue-of-losing-your-short-term-memory-is-that-it-does-free/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“Memory does not reside in any one place in our brains, but rather is distributed across multiple brain regions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-disalvo/memory-does-not-reside-in-any-one-place-in-our-brains-but-rather-is/) [David DiSalvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-disalvo/) > [Life may unfold chronologically for the body and for bureaucracies that keep track of such things as births, marriages, deaths, visas, tax returns, expulsions,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ariel-dorfman/life-may-unfold-chronologically-for-the-body-and-for-bureaucracies/) [Ariel Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ariel-dorfman/) > [Any memory that does not assist us in working toward the ultimate goal of serving G-d does not deserve being retained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalman-packouz/any-memory-that-does-not-assist-us-in-working-toward-the-ultimate/) Kalman Packouz ## More by Rodolfo Llinas > [The Neurosciences do not exist exclusively to understand man's nature. They also serve a social function, such as in the treatment of the cerebral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/the-neurosciences-do-not-exist-exclusively-to-understand-man-s-nature/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) > [We assume that we have free will and that we make decisions, but we don't. Neurons do. We decide that this sum total driving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/we-assume-that-we-have-free-will-and-that-we-make-decisions-but-we/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) > [The future of human relationships will be directly related to the cerebral functions. For this reason it is already a fundamental thing. In the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/the-future-of-human-relationships-will-be-directly-related-to-the/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) > [Some people prefer to see the game in the television than to go to the stadium. With virtual reality this will go to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/some-people-prefer-to-see-the-game-in-the-television-than-to-go-to/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) > [Language changes only those aspects of our consciousness which are based on information, but not the feelings themselves. The words are as stones that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/language-changes-only-those-aspects-of-our-consciousness-which-are/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) > [Basically there are two types of animals: animals, and animals that have no brains; they are called plants. They don't need a nervous system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/basically-there-are-two-types-of-animals-animals-and-animals-that/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) > [The different political systems, religions and social habits demonstrate that the same brain can be tuned in different manners. But the tuning capacity is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/the-different-political-systems-religions-and-social-habits/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) > [ We \[human beings\] are two-legged omnivorous animals, and this means that we have many ecological niches, regarding the possible places where we can live.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/we-human-beings-are-two-legged-omnivorous-animals-and-this-means-that/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) > [Structurally we should understand that one cannot think that the human brain is different from the brain of the other vertebrates. It is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodolfo-llinas/structurally-we-should-understand-that-one-cannot-think-that-the/) [Rodolfo Llinas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) [Explore all 10 Rodolfo Llinas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodolfo-llinas/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We no longer see the evolution of the nervous system, but that of a certain individual. The role of the memory is very important but... not as important as we believe. Most of the important things that we do don't depend on memory. To hear, to see, to touch, to feel happiness and pain; these are functions which are independent of memory; it is an a priori thing. 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